CBS’ ‘Big Brother’ Hits Another Season High On Sunday

Fox's new animated comedies 'Ax Cop' and 'High School USA' draw 2.5 million in special previews

CBS reality veteran “Big Brother” took a while to get going in the ratings this summer, but it has picked up of late and on Sunday was easily the top broadcast program in key demos.

According to preliminary national estimates from Nielsen, “Big Brother” averaged a 2.4 rating/7 share in adults 18-49 and 6.8 million viewers overall in the 8 o’clock hour — up 14% (0.3) from last week and delivering triple the young-adult audience of its lead-in, “60 Minutes” (0.9/3 in 18-49, 7.7 million viewers overall), which nonetheless was the night’s most-watched program overall.

The 2.4 matches this summer’s demo high for “Big Brother” set last Thursday with the live eviction show, and the 6.8 million total viewers is also a season best.

From 9 to 11 p.m., the Eye aired encores of “The Good Wife” (0.7/2 in 18-49, 3.1 million viewers overall) and “The Mentalist” (0.6/2 in 18-49, 3.4 million viewers overall).

Elsewhere Sunday, Fox aired special preview episodes of new Saturday latenight animated comedies “Ax Cop” and “High School USA” in the 9:30 p.m. half-hour, averaging a 1.1/3 in 18-49 and 2.5 million viewers overall. The shows will air in their regular Saturday timeslots this week as part of the net’s new “Animation Domination High-Def” programming block, which will air from 11 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.

“Ax Cop” and “High School USA” on Sunday followed a repeat of Fox’s top-rated animated comedy, “Family Guy” (1.5/4 in 18-49, 3.3 million viewers overall). Earlier in the evening, the net aired encores of “American Dad” (0.6/2 in 18-49, 1.5 million viewers overall), “The Simpsons” at both 7:30 (0.9/3 in 18-49, 2.1 million viewers overall) and 8 (1.4/5 in 18-49, 3.2 million viewers overall) and “Bob’s Burgers” (1.3/4 in 18-49, 2.7 million viewers overall).

ABC did as well with a repeat of “America’s Funniest Home Videos” at 7 (1.0/4 in 18-49, 4.9 million viewers overall) as it did with originals of its original unscripted tandem of “Celebrity Wife Swap” (1.0/3 in 18-49, 3.0 million viewers overall) and “Whodunnit?” (1.0/3 in 18-49, 2.9 million viewers overall), as the firstrun fare is not doing that well on the night for the net. At 10, a repeat “Castle” did a 0.6/2 in 18-49 and 2.9 million viewers overall.

NBC had another quiet Sunday of its own with a repeat of “America’s Got Talent” (0.8/3 in 18-49, 3.5 million viewers overall) followed by an encore of “Law & Order: SVU” (0.9/3 in 18-49, 4.1 million viewers overall) and an original episode of crime drama “Crossing Lines” (0.6/2 in 18-49, 2.9 million viewers overall), which edged up from its low of last week.

PLEASE limit the amount of time that Amanda is on screen. She has such an extremely huge ego that she thinks she commands the house. She is simply an egotistical bully who cries like a ten year old when she doesn’t get her way. Hiding in a room behind a garbage can………..really??? My only hope is that she is NOT one of the final contestants. It will be so disappointing if the attention-hungry woman is there much longer. Someone please throw her under the bus and back door her out of the game.